Hello Yesterday, Goodbye Tomorrow
by kaze suzume
Summary: With no memory other than her own name, Sakura wakes up alone in an unknown world. She struggles with moving forward and living a new life with foreign powers when the past refuses to release her. AU Sakura-centric
1. Wake Up

The first thing that came to mind was that her left arm hanging somewhere above her head was annoyingly numb. The second was that she realized it was quite nice outside, the long grass silky and the gentle wind cool, and if it weren't for her uncomfortable position of her arm she would have liked blissful sleep to claim her for just a little longer... maybe a lot longer. The third thing that came to her however, was the one that wiped the first and second thought from her mind and sent her bolting straight up and wildly spinning on the spot.

_Where am I?_

Confusion seeped through her like liquid ice, shocking her system and sending it into overdrive. Frantically searching for something even remotely familiar, she fought down the urge to panic and forcefully took in several deep calming breaths to stop her lungs from hyperventilating. The only thing she could see was grass and the blurry beginnings of trees somewhere far off to the right of where she had rooted herself. Nothing looked like it was close to home, which made her freeze on the spot for an entirely different reason.

_Where is home?_

Instead of sticking to the depressing thought that she didn't know where she lived she then quickly began running over the hopefully positive memory of what she did know. She somehow knew that the longer she panicked about what was missing the deeper her dark and dreary black hole became in which would only end in unnecessary but seemingly well deserved tears, head and heartache. Which led to her collapsing to her knees and grabbing pink tresses with white knuckled fists slightly shaking with poorly suppressed fright.

_My name is Sakura._

Apparently if her memory served her correctly she had no parents, house, friends, job, family, enemies... hell she's never seen another human being in her life. It was if kami-sama had created her, threw her onto an empty field of grass with only her uncreative name and made bets with his buddies to see how long she would survive. That asshole probably thought she wouldn't last a week, but she'd live forever if only to piss him off. But what was she supposed to do? With only the nondescript black clothes that covered her she had nothing else. Nothing to barter or trade for food if she did happen to find some sort of civilization and nothing to defend herself if she were attacked. There could be rabid animals and demons laying hidden just waiting for her to stroll by blissfully unaware and unarmed! Obviously trying not to panic wasn't working very well.

"Breathe Sakura, breathe."

Talking to herself gave her little comfort, but she decided that she would gratefully take whatever she could grasp. Pausing a moment to stand once again, Sakura closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, clearing her mind and calming herself. Panic finally put aside, her survival instincts then began to kick in and take command. The sun was high in the sky, and by judging the position she guessed she had about five or six more hours of daylight. She would need to find a water source quickly, and eventually some sort of food. She didn't know where she was going, or what kind of trouble she could find, but she at least knew her own name. Thank kami for small miracles.

It was around three hours later (one and a half spent with a growling stomach) that Sakura spotted the strangest thing. Two large stone statues of upside down legs stuck out of the ground wearing straw sandles while a large and colourful banner with 'Shiba' written on it and hung between the toes. It was so completely out of place in the large field that baffled her so much that it took her longer than it should have to notice that in between the garish statues was this enormous chimney attached to-

_A building!_

Running as fast as she could, Sakura let the scenery blur around her, focusing solely on the object of her hopeful desires. It appeared to be a household of some sort, which meant that there would be a family living there, right? While they might have had strange tastes in their front yard decor, she was sure they would be able to provide her with something other than design recommendations.

_Water! Food!_

What seemed like a lifetime in mere seconds, she was running past the strangely shaped limbs holding the colourful banner and nearly crashed face first into a yellow covered chest. The heel of her boot dug into an inch of earth and she sprung back swiftly, landing softly a few yards away from the large man who had placed himself in her path.

Righting herself quickly, Sakura then noticed that another man wearing identical clothes (they could have been twins, their narrow eyes, eyebrows and mustaches matched but one had a longer chin while the other had a split chin) as the first approached and stood shoulder to shoulder with the other with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. It was quite off-putting to have the first people she meet be seemingly on bad terms with her before she had even said anything to offend them and raised her hands up in (what she hoped was in this strange place) the universal sign of 'I come in peace'.

"Identify yourself stranger! We, Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko shall not let you pass!" The one on the right (she wasn't sure which name went with whom) bellowed at her, and she opened her mouth to respond when the second beat her to it.

"Go back to wherever you came from little girl! Or else you will face death!"

"Hold on a second!" Shouting back with indigence, Sakura was not only exhausted and hungry but she felt a terrible combination of confusion, irritation, disbelief and anger. "First of all, just because I'm short does not mean I'm a little girl! I had my twenty-second birthday four months ago!" Crossing her arms angrily, the floodgates opened as she closed her eyes and smiled with deceitful sweetness that made the two almost gulp with nervousness.

"And go back to where I came from? Ha! If I even knew where that was and how to do that I wouldn't have been wandering around for the past few hours trying to figure out where the hell I am, how I got here and why the only thing I remember is that my name is Sakura. Just Sakura! It's like I have no surname!" With each passing moment the irate pink-haired woman's grip on her arms clenched tighter, the scary smile on her face promising the two men (who were exchanging nervous glances) plenty of pain.

Sakura felt childish, like she was throwing a temper tantrum. However she couldn't push aside being overwhelmed by the situation-which would be normal for any regular person in her shoes, would it not?

No. There was a nagging inside of her that berated her for acting in such a manner, for not looking at everything with a critical and analytical mind to sort out her problems and resolve them in the most efficient manner possible. That was what she was supposed to be doing. Whoever Sakura was, she most definitely wasn't a regular person before she had come to this place.

"Oi! Koganehiko! Shiroganehiko! What the hell are you two doing?" At the voice, Sakura stopped her tirade about wandering around starving and hoping to find some food and snapped her eyes open to see a young woman approaching with an even younger boy trailing behind her. With a katana strapped to her back and a long scarf wrapped around her head and knotted at the side, her wispy black hair escaped through the folds of cloth and trailed behind her like silk threads. The next thing she noticed was a missing limb wrapped in bandages and the woman's state of dress, or undress with the large expanse of skin that was displayed for all to see.

Despite how the outfit was scandalous in its minimalism and could be perceived as something only a lower-class woman would dare to wear, the rosette knew at once that the busty woman was the one in charge. While her posture appeared relaxed, her head was held high and her left hand perched on her hip in a no-nonsense manner, and Sakura could practically see the authority rolling off of her figure.

"Yes Ma'am!" The two burly men stood straight as a board, their hands snapping up to salute the woman. Split-Chin turned his head in Sakura's direction and reported, "we were dealing with the girl, Ma'am!"

"She appears to be a new soul to Soul Society!" Long-Chin finished for his almost twin, and the answer made Sakura blink with disbelief.

_Soul Society?_

"Who are you?" The air of authority and demanding nature of the question made Sakura stand a little straighter, and she stared unblinkingly into the other woman's eyes.

"Sakura."

"Hmm..." The woman hummed and then turned to the boy who had remained silent the entire time. "Ganju! Go open the door! We have a guest!" The said boy gave an enthusiastic 'Yes sis!' and ran towards the large manor when she turned to grin at the bewildered Sakura. "I'm Shiba Kuukaku, and this is the noble Shiba household! Come on inside and we'll have a chat." At that, Kuukaku spun on her heel, flyaway hair and loose skirt fanning out and around her with a dramatic flair.

It only took a split second for Sakura to settle on accepting the invitation as the pros definitely outweighed the cons. Not only was Shiba Kuukaku offering her answers but she was also providing her with shelter. The alternative would be to try and find her own way to the next source of civilization sans memory or map of the area and do so while being riddled with questions and confusion. No, she would much rather take the former option rather than the latter. Besides, there was something about Shiba Kuukaku that made Sakura feel safe, a gut feeling that told her the woman meant her no harm.

Taking a deep breath, she started towards the household with determination.

* * *

"Excuse me?" Kneeling on the tatami mats of the surprisingly large, _underground_ household, Sakura blinked owlishly at the woman lounging carelessly a few feet across from her, a pipe perched between slender yet calloused fingers. Of all the explanations of her presence here in this strange place, this was definitely _not_ what she was expecting to hear.

"You heard me, you're dead." Pausing to lift the thin pipe to her lips and taking a leisurely drag, she exhaled the smoke almost lazily. "Soul Society is a place where souls come after they have died in the physical world. It isn't uncommon for one to lose their memory, so don't worry about that. What _is_ uncommon however..." The rosette's stomach gave a low rumble, and the young woman's cheeks were dusted a light pink as she took up the onigiri once again to stifle the noise. Kuukau's slender eyebrow rose at the sight, her next words were more like her own thoughts spoken out loud than anything. "...you're _hungry_."

Nearly choking on her mouthful of oh-so-delicious-rice, Sakura blushed a deeper shade and quickly swallowed the food. She wasn't stuffing her face with the onigiri or demolishing it in any other sort of barbaric way (she actually found her self-control for not doing so quite admirable), so why was the sight of her eating at a relatively normal pace strange? Kuukaku's burst of laughter at her mishap only served to make her feel even more embarrassed, and she wasn't even sure what she was being embarrassed for!

"S-Shiba-san!" Sputtering out, Sakura tried to make some sort of sense to the seemingly humourous situation. "I would think that being hungry after wandering around for some time without any food or water would make it perfectly normal for me to be hungry!"

The chuckling woman waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Kuukaku is fine, Sakura." Straightening somewhat, the fireworks master gave the other her full attention. "Souls don't have a physical body so they don't need to eat - they don't get thirsty or hungry. The fact that you require nourishment to survive means only one thing."

Holding her breath at the dramatic pause, Sakura leaned forward slightly as if a closer proximity would pull the answer from Kuukaku, her mind running on overtime trying and failing to figure out what her hunger meant in this world of the dead.

Kuukaku slightly parted her lips when a boyish voice sounded instead.

"It means you have reiatsu!"

Both woman (one confused and the other rather irked) snapped their heads to the side to see Ganju at the open door holding a tray of tea. The young boy's eyes were excited, obviously proud at knowing the correct answer and being able to add to the discussion. However the poor boy's moment of glory was rather short lived when a cushion went crashing into his face, the sheer force of the normally soft item turning dangerous as it sent him tumbling back into the hallway and onto the polished hardwood flooring.

"Who said you could interrupt!?" Kuukaku huffed angrily at her younger brother before snatching up her pipe, inhaling a copious amount of smoke and blowing it out, resembling something like an annoyed fire breathing dragon.

When she thought she heard a feeble '_I'm s-sorry sis_', Sakura let out a little laugh and felt somewhat at peace. The sight was familiar in some way, and strangely enough she could admit to herself that it was like _home_. She didn't know anything about home or why it would summon up such a feeling of nostalgia, all she had was a mere _feeling_. It was bittersweet and all so frustrating.

When Kuukaku looked back in her direction, she pulled herself away from her thoughts-_feelings_ and couldn't help but ask, "...what is reiatsu?"

"Reiatsu is spiritual energy. Souls that have reiatsu require food and water, just like the living."

While Sakura vapidly listened to the explanation of reiatsu and more about Soul Society, she could see from beyond the still open doors that Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko were cleaning up broken china and spilt tea from the floor, a few other workers attempting to straighten Ganju's robes only to have the boy shout out that he could do it himself. The growing noise began to visibly agitate the lady of the household, causing the said woman to shout at them to shut up, stop ruining her explanations and to behave properly in front of their guest.

Somehow in the presence of Shiba Kuukaku and the rest of the Shiba household, Sakura almost felt at ease, the blunt and crass busty woman was easy to get along with, and the others were fun and kind.

* * *

After a lively and eventful evening, Kuukaku had invited Sakura to stay with them in the Shiba household for the time being, and she had gratefully accepted. Based on her limited knowledge, it wasn't the norm for a noble family to pick up stray souls and teach them about their world, but when she had brought the thought up with Kuukaku, the woman had scoffed at her and said that Kaien (the household head who was currently a Shinigami and in Seireitei) would have done the same.

Since when were nobles so laid back and friendly? It wasn't a common occurrence, of course with the exemption of-

_...of who?_

Was she familiar with nobles of both the stuck-up and carefree varieties? She couldn't remember, she couldn't remember anything. There was that barely there (but still _there_) annoying nudge in her gut, the one that basically held up a neon sign flashing 'You're missing a lot here!'

Loneliness suddenly gripped her with frigidness and she reached out for warmth only to grab a handful of her blankets. Startled, she looked to her other side to find that she was alone, and a longing that pulled at her heart made her ache on the inside.

_Who? Who? Whowhowho-_

The question played in rapid succession in her mind in vain. There was no answer, no clue as to who she was supposed to find at her side.

Sighing as she rolled in her futon, Sakura tried to sort out the rampaging thoughts and emotions that felt as if they were attempting to burst from her brain. Even after the relaxing bath she felt emotionally and physically exhausted and knew she would need the sleep, however her mind running overtime would keep her awake if this kept up. Mentally commanding herself to stop thinking so much didn't exactly work so well, so she settled for laying still and staring at the dark ceiling while considering counting sheep of all things.

One hundred and forty two sheep later and the quick (disappointingly) unsuccessful search of a hard heavy object that could serve the purpose of knocking herself unconscious, Sakura nearly tore the blanket off of her before sliding open her room door and padding through the empty hallways. She met no one as she made her journey upwards and finally outside, settling herself on the cool ground with her back against the outer shell of the Shiba residence, tension leaving her as she sighed, vibrant eyes focused on the glowing half-moon.

The air was slightly cool and crisp, and she felt herself more at ease with the quiet sounds of crickets and soft wind that drifted through.

Under the bright moonlight and gentle wind, Sakura felt her mind fall blank, calm and comfort soothing her previously tensely strung muscles and alert mind. Her eyelids lazily slid shut, blissful sleep finally claiming her.

* * *

_Amazing! Even after two months I can only catch glimpses of him every now and then. He's so fast!_

_I wonder what his name is._

_Will I be able to become that good one day?_

* * *

When she awoke the next morning, it was to the sounds of running feet and shrill yelling that made her wince. The sun was high in the sky, and she couldn't help but silently berate herself for sleeping in. Sakura didn't know what her normal wake-up time was supposed to be, however she quickly shrugged off the slight apprehension and instead took up the more immediate issue of the panicking residents of the noble Shiba household. Somehow she didn't think that the current behaviour was the norm when it came to nobles, but it made her grin with amusement nonetheless.

Standing to stretch out the several small kinks in her back, she skipped lightly back inside to see what all the ruckus was about.

"SAKURA-SAAAAN! WHERE ARE YOU SAKURA-SAN!?"

Ahh... Now all of the yelling and running made sense. The servants most likely went to wake her up in the morning only to find her missing from her room-thus resulting in the current chaotic environment. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to just get up and disappear outside without telling anyone, she didn't think about the possible consequences when in her small fit of un-rest and felt guilty, responsible and even a tad touched. It was nice - having someone worrying for her.

It didn't take long for a random servant running through the polished halls to catch sight of her vibrant hair and she smiled sheepishly and waved slightly as the said servant yelled loudly and happily that he had finally found their guest. She felt more at home here, and knew that she would grow to love living with these wonderful people.

But the image of vibrant green leaves and flashes of black spiky hair refused to leave her mind.

* * *

**A/N: For those who don't like the author notes, important things will be in bold.**

**- Expect slow updates** - I am by no means a fast updater. It took me a year to write this one chapter because I wanted to be absolutely sure I wasn't going to go back and change something as I kept writing, and I'm _really_ slow at writing. The quickest update you'll possibly get from me would be every few months, but I make no promises. I won't even get to writing the next chapter until I've caught up on my reviewing of Wynth's stories (go read them, they're wonderful)... I'm such an awful reviewer...

**- Naruto-verse is AU** - obviously with Sakura being 20-ish, the Naruto-verse has been altered and therefore some characters may seem OOC.

**- Story starts before Ichigo and co. are introduced** - Shiba Kaien is currently alive, the Shiba household has not yet fallen.

**- Let me know if I've made mistakes!** - I most likely have plenty. And if there is an issue with spelling/grammar please let me know about that as well. I don't have a beta reader and after going over this chapter a billion of times I'm likely to have missed many.

Thank you for reading to the end, until next time =)


	2. Missing Pieces

_"Hello little one."_

_"Ah! Hello!"_

_"Hehe, there's no need to be so shy. I just wanted to know if you wanted a closer look."_

_"Really? Can I?!"_

_"Of course you can! Oh, but there's one condition."_

_C-condition?!_

_"I'd like to know the name of my admirer. It has been three months since you've been coming to watch me after all."_

_"...Sakura. Haruno Sakura."_

* * *

Three weeks and two days. That was the amount of time Sakura had spent in Soul Society and the Shiba household. It had taken her three weeks and two days for her to have another dream-_memory_ (she concluded that it had to be a memory, because what else could it be?) that she could actually make out clearly, for her to learn that her full name was Haruno Sakura. There had been others before, however they were a mere shadow, a shudder of broken colours and blurred images. Brilliant shades of green were in most, as well as slips of smiling eyes and kind faces that she could never remember correctly when she awoke. Disjointed and quick images were nowhere near sharp, voices that were more often muffled than clear. While visually unsubstantial and frustratingly unsound, the memories had instead proven their worth in emotions. Joy when receiving her chocolate birthday cake, sadness when her toy had broken, small snippets of her childhood life presented to her in a way that warmed the heart.

Pulling herself from her very own futon that she was gifted and rolling it up to be placed back into storage for the day, Sakura smiled to herself, the clear memory renewed her resolve to be patient with the past that seemed to struggle with catching up with her. Rolling her shoulders in an attempt to shed off the effects of yet another restless night, she pulled her length of petal hair into a ponytail at the base of her neck. Quickly changing clothes she soundlessly slid open the paper door and exited her room when the soft thumps of large feet against wooden floors reached her ears.

"Good morning Sakura-dono! I'm glad to see you using your room again!" Shifting to the side, Sakura stopped her journey towards the kitchen and gave a warm smile to Koganehiko who approached from the end of the hallway. "I didn't know that a woman of twenty-two years would have such difficulty sleeping in a bed!"

"Koganehiko, it's rude to bring up a woman's age you know!" Feigning offence, the twenty-two year old turned her head away to hide her teasing smile from the other. Ever since her first night in the Shiba household, she had always found it easier to sleep outside rather than in her room, every single movement and creek inside the house had her springing out of bed and on full alert, adrenaline pumping in her ears and her muscles taut to react within the second. It had driven her above ground and outside where the footsteps below were easier to ignore, and the calming sounds of nature put her at ease. However she was trying her best for the sake of the frantic staff who were always hysterical when they thought they had lost their guest yet _again,_ to sleep inside.

The first meeting with Koganehiko and his almost-twin was an event that Sakura was embarrassed about and only wished to forget, however both men had taken the task of bringing it up knowing how much she wanted to forget the ordeal. The first time they had brought it up, she hadn't even known that she could remember her own age, the information had slipped from her mouth without hesitance or a single thought. From this she concluded that certain memories may return at any moment and without her notice.

"But you are the one who first _proudly_ declared your age, Sakura-dono! Shiroganehiko and I will never forget that moment!"

"Hmph. Old man."

"Oh how you wound me! Youths are so uncouth with their language these days!" A dramatic hand was placed over the man's large chest as if in pain and the female fought the urge to laugh.

"Wait a minute, shouldn't I be the one wounded here?"

"You must respect your elders Sakura-dono!"

In a way she enjoyed the playful banter and despite how her childish tantrum shamed her, the frequency and manner in which the two brought it up was their way of showing her that they didn't _want_ her to have negative feelings towards their meeting; that it should be something to laugh and reminisce about with a gleeful smile. And for that and their quick friendship, she was grateful.

With a hand on her hip and a smile on her lips, Sakura strutted down the hall presenting the very image of a woman scorned. She could practically hear the frantic cluttering of Koganehiko's internal gears working overtime, trying to determine if she, the noble Shiba household guest, felt insulted by him. While rounding the corner her leafy green orbs glittered with mirth and her mouth pulled with a playful quirk, a direct contrast to the almost sharp commanding tone that was clearly only meant for dramatics.

"That's _Haruno_ Sakura-sama to you Koganehiko!"

"Y-you've remembered? What a beautiful name you have Sakura-dono!"

Grinning to herself and nodding politely to the staff that passed her way, the other man's booming voice rang loud and clear in her ears, and, no doubt at least one-quarter of the household's ears as well.

"_Shiroganehiko! I have wonderful news!_"

Quickly slipping into the bustling kitchen and grabbing a full teapot and spare cup, she was out and silently strolling through the corridor without a wisp of sound. Breakfast wasn't a meal that she found she needed in the morning, the early nutrition made her almost feel heavy and hot tea was enough to sustain her until lunch. If only she could convince Ootani Kaoru, the head chef, that she didn't require said meal. The stern faced man had caught her several times in the past attempting to sneak away without food and had sat her down with a complete Japanese breakfast with a side of chiding. She learned quickly to avoid being seen or heard when retrieving her tea in the mornings.

The ins and outs of the underground residence only took a short while for Sakura to familiarize herself with, and by this time she knew small details like which floorboards creaked, the square foot of each room, and which walls and doors would be easiest to knock down to reach an exit by the quickest means possible by memory. Of course there were other oddities that she took notice of, leading her to believe that she was most definitely _not_ a regular civilian in her past life.

Shaking her head at her thoughts, she propped her tea cup over the spout of the pot to free a hand to open the sliding door to the library. Once inside, she made her way over to a familiar wooden desk tucked into the far corner of the paper scented room while searching out the darker shadows where one would conceal themselves from the corner of her eyes. Satisfied when she had found no one, the teapot and cup found their spot on the tabletop with a soft clink and she set off to find another ink-stained parchment to read from.

Comfortably seated with a stack of books on the tabletop and a steaming cup of tea, Sakura immersed herself in the writings of the Shihouin clan. Most days were spent this way, her passing the hours away in the library and learning about the new world she was in that was now her home. There was something comforting about the smell of parchment and the weight of a book in her hands.

"Sakura?" The addressed female snapped her head up, not having noticed Ganju enter the library and approach her table. The thought was somewhat warming and alarming all at once.

"What is it Ganju? Did you want to study with me instead of with Shiroganehiko and Koganehiko?" She watched in amusement as the young boy furiously shook his head with a look of childish horror painted on his face. The two guardians weren't the most conventional of teachers, however Sakura had to admit that they held a great amount of knowledge of how Soul Society ticked.

"You missed lunch again!" A short finger was thrust in her direction accusingly and he continued in a scolding manner. "This is the third time this week! All you have for breakfast is tea and now it's practically time for dinner! You can't just have one meal a day you know; it isn't healthy!"

The words fell from his lips in such a practiced manner as if he had heard the same speech several times from someone else, and Sakura found it rather cute. Placing her book down on the large pile of text that she had covered earlier and throwing her hands up with her palms together in a placating manner, she smiled apologetically at the other.

"I know, and I'm sorry. But all of this history is just so easy to lose track of time in..." she had an almost longing glance at the shelves but quickly switched back to appearing apologetic at Ganju's almost-frown. "And I really should keep better track of the time because that isn't an excuse."

"Hmph! Of course it isn't an excuse!"

_What a cheeky kid!_ She could only imagine what kind of excuses the boy had used to try and get away with this and that to avoid a similar type of scolding. Although she was sure that Kuukaku would merely answer any sort of excuse with a more violent response.

"Alright, to make it up to you, why don't we go into town in the next couple of days? We haven't visited since last week."

"Yeah! Maybe we can even go without Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko this time!"

Gathering all of the materials and placing them back in their respective places on the wooden shelves, she amicably chatted with Ganju as he expressed his desire on who he would like to visit and spend time with. They had gone into one of the districts several times in the weeks she had resided here, and Sakura always felt a wave of nostalgia as she watched the energetic Shiba noble run around and cause bits of trouble here and there.

The conditions that the citizens lived in was somewhat worrisome, however she was aware that no matter the country, or perhaps world, the unfortunate would always exist, and Soul Society was no exception to that. Although despite Ganju obviously belonging to a noble family and living in much more desirable conditions, most of the townspeople were happy to have the youngster running through their streets. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the name Shiba generally didn't generate the image of an uptight and haughty noble.

She was also able to catch a glimpse of the western gate of Seireitei which the Shiba household was relatively close to. When she questioned why Kuukaku didn't live within the centre of Soul Society like the other great noble households, Ganju sagely replied that with Kuukaku being a fireworks master, she required a larger space to operate and the woman complained that Seireitei was too stuffy and loud for her tastes.

"Let's go for dinner!" With an agreeing nod, the two left the library and took their time as they walked through the corridors.

"When do you think Onee-sama will let me start studying how to fire the cannon?" Without looking over, the rosette could practically hear the pout in his question.

"Maa... have you asked her before?" His thirst for wanting to learn and prove himself to his older siblings was endearing.

"I did! She said that it was impossible for snot-nosed-brats to learn, but I'm not a one of those! I'm the awesome Ganju-sama! The greatest-"

With his chin held high and his fist held triumphantly above him, he stood no chance when the bare foot of his beloved sister was planted firmly into his face. An anguished cry escaped the poor boy who tumbled away and landed in a pitiful heap before craning his neck at an awkward angle to peer up at his assailant with tears in his eyes.

"N-Nee-sama! Wh-"

"Don't get ahead of yourself punk! You're a thousand years too early to start learning those techniques!"

"Well," Sakura interjected calmly as to not bring the other's temperament onto herself. "When would Ganju be ready to start learning? Are there any special requirements?" Half of the reason she asked was for the benefit of the said boy who was peeling himself from the floorboards and the other half due to her own curiosity on the subject.

"Requirements? Hah!" Waving her hand in the air in a flippant manner it was then placed firmly on her hip. "Other than the obvious requirement of having to be apart of the Shiba family, there's only one. I have to approve of it!"

"T..that's the requirement...?" Sakura couldn't help the almost pitying look she sent Ganju.

"Of course. Shouldn't something like that be obvious?" With a raised eyebrow, the older woman's question was more of a statement than anything. "If Ganju can't prove to me that he's ready or even deserves to learn, then I'm not going to teach him! Besides!" Switching her attention back to the young boy in a split second caused him to flinch slightly. "I know you've been skipping out on your lessons! How the hell do you expect to learn from me when you can't even do those simple things?"

"W-well, let's go eat now shall we? Or else our food will get cold..." Letting her voice drift off she gestured for the siblings to take their seats and was thankful that the change of conversation gave Ganju a slight reprieve from Kuukaku's strictness.

"Ahh!" The cry of horror from Ganju drew everyone's attention. "Why do I have so many vegetables today? So unfair! Someone as awesome as me shouldn't have to eat gross vegetables!"

At the boy's liveliness she supposed she shouldn't have worried about him. Despite how much he was struck down by Kuukaku it never seemed to phase him for long. Sakura then assumed that may have been why she did it so often; she believed he needed to be taken down a peg (or several pegs) to try and keep the boy more down to earth. Who knew how many times she had heard of the many self-declarations of Ganju's greatness in the weeks she had spent here.

"Sakura."

"Hm?" The rosette tilted her head in answer to Kuukaku who was now languishly lounging in a pile of cushions with a cup of sake in hand.

"How are you settling in here?"

"I..." Pondering for a short few seconds, she tried to find the proper words to describe her stay with the noble household. She had to remind herself that she was merely a visitor here and that Kuukaku had initially let her stay in order to become better acquainted with Soul Society. She could be asked to leave whenever the other found it necessary.

"Everyone has been so generous and kind to me here. I've been able to learn so much from my stay and with such wonderful company... I'm really grateful for finding this household and for you allowing me to stay." She gave the other woman who she would now consider a good friend a genuine smile. "Thank you."

Sakura got an equally kind smile in return and they both paused to take a sip of sake. The smell of the beverage was familiar to her. _I hope I wasn't an alcoholic in my past life!_

"I heard that you've remembered your name?"

"Yes! Haruno. Haruno Sakura." To anyone else, a name would seem insignificant, but she found it to be a precious piece of herself.

Lost in her own thoughts, the pinkette didn't notice the appraising look the other was giving her over the rim of the white sake dish.

"By the way, earlier I was reading up on the Shihouin nobles and noticed that their customs were vastly different from the other great noble families. The way they're brought up and trained isn't at all like a shinigami and resembles more-"

"Shihouin? Hmm, one of my friends is a Shihouin, so when she visits next you can ask her all the questions you want." Slightly surprised when she was interrupted, her eagerness of wanting to meet this friend was squashed when Kuukaku's gaze turned more serious.

"Sakura... are you unsatisfied with this place?"

"What?" To say she was taken off kilter by the question would have been a lie.

"I can see it. You want to know so badly of your past, of who you used to be. Every day you try to find something, _anything_ that would lead to your past and it's going to destroy you." Kuukaku's empty sake dish was placed down and the woman paused before continuing on. "You're dead to them, Sakura."

Stunned to silence, she could only listen.

"This is your life now, here without them. Your old friends, families, they'll continue living on without you and you need to do the same. You can be here for centuries, and you can't do that while lamenting and dwelling on that past." Sighing, the raven haired female turned her gaze to her younger brother who was being occupied by her two faithful friends. Both Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko were trying to force feed Ganju his green vegetables, one trying to hold him down and the other prying his mouth open with a plate of lettuce ready at hand.

"Ever since Kaien became a Shinigami, he's really missed him. Ganju's really become attached to you, Sakura." Fondness for Ganju softened both women's eyes, and the older sibling's voice took on an almost pleading tone. "Is it really so hard to let go of them, with what you have here?"

Sakura had no answer.

* * *

It had nearly been a week since Kuukaku's question that laid heavily and thickly in Sakura's heart. When she didn't-_couldn't_ respond, her female friend simply waved it off and refilled their empty sake cups.

_Maa, don't worry about it now. Drink up! GANJU! EAT THE DAMN VEGETABLES!_

Making her way across the empty field she was glad that Kuukaku preferred living in such an open space. It gave her a sense of security, and the room to move more freely. It definitely proved to be beneficial at times like these as she never really took to the underground training room that was already supplied by the Shiba household.

Every other day she would come out to the fields or the surrounding forest to exercise when the day had mostly come to an end. When she was offered to be accompanied by either Shiroganehiko or Koganehiko, she politely declined, claiming to prefer spending that time to herself. And then there was that unease in her gut at the thought of anyone from the household watching her.

The sun was already dying the world orange-red, a dark evening sure to come soon. With her eyes closed, Sakura relaxed as her breathing slowed, almost falling into a meditative state. She didn't think about what she was doing, she simply let go and let herself _feel_.

Soundlessly, her left foot brushed over the top of grass before the ball was planted firmly down, her right foot sweeping around, turning her body clockwise and her arms held out before her. Each motion was slow and gentle, the movements relaxed and sure as she remained perfectly balanced as she spun and twisted in complicated patterns. Kata after kata seamlessly blended into the next with an almost breathless ease.

Soothing and methodical, she felt more at peace with herself at these moments more than any other time she spent in Soul Society. It was if time had stopped and crossed simultaneously. Past comforts holding her in place with a gentle embrace, the veil of _then_ separating her from the reality of _here_. She could almost, almost pretend that she wasn't in this place of the unknown.

_Don't rush it, Chibi-hime. Speed and strength will come with time and practice._

Mint eyes snapping open, Sakura gasped as she misstepped and fell to an ungraceful heap onto the ground. Panting slightly, she realized how sweaty she was and how dark the sky had become, inky indigo now glowing with a sliver of moonshine. Making a fist and hitting the ground beneath her with frustration, she scowled and clenched her jaw almost painfully. How was it that her body could remember how to perform those movements when her brain couldn't even remember who taught them to her? Who was he? Who was he to her? What was she to him? Was she a fighter or was she just apart of some martial arts club? No, with the amount of familiarity and ease she would have had repeated the motions religiously. It wasn't something she would put so much effort into if it were for a mere hobby...right?

An exasperated and confused growl rumbled from the back of her throat. Could she really say what she would have or wouldn't have done when she was alive when she didn't even remember anything? She didn't feel like a terrible person and had a good sense of morals and beliefs (whatever they were), but what if she was wrong? Maybe Kuukaku was right, maybe trying to figure out who _Haruno Sakura_ was would just be too much trouble, and what mattered was who she would become from here on out. It was such a tempting idea to leave the unknown behind her, to let the sleeping dogs lie.

She was then hit with such unbridled repulsion at her previous thoughts and knew that it would be a pointless endeavour to just move on. Sakura had to find out who she had once been, or she would never be able to move forward.

Convincing herself of being patient with her memories slowly returning was a painful struggle. For a short while in the beginning when she first landed in Soul Society she was able to delude herself into thinking she was capable of it, however the nagging in the back of her head was relentless in its pursuit to free her of the illusions of her own making. When Kuukaku had seen through her own accepting facade and saw her subtlety tearing her own mind to shreds with questions, Sakura then vainly attempted to believe in the other woman's comforting suggestions. She should have known it wouldn't have lasted.

Despite physically leaving her past behind, memory forgotten, the bonds of her past still shackled her. They demanded that she remember them, and with all of her determination, she would meet those demands.

Sitting cross-legged on the grass, Sakura tilted her head upwards, her gaze focused on the bright moon above her. The sky was clear enough for the stars to shine through, the moon illuminating the earth below it well enough for her to see with clarity. With a deep breath she calmed her body and mind, allowing herself to relax and meditate.

Drawing her focus into herself, she slowly relaxed each tense muscle and limb one by one, taking into account where there was stiff or sore spots for later use. Throughout her journey, she realized that there was something missing, an important piece that she should have been able to find but couldn't for the life of her. It's absence was alarming, however she kept her calm and continued to search.

She vaguely remembered an energy within her, being able to wield it, mould it, use it. Closing her eyes, she sought deeper into herself, searching for that _something_ inside that should reside somewhere.

_There!_

'_Wait! Be caref-'_

In her excitement she didn't even register the wisp of warning and grasped that energy, her eyelids lifting and emerald orbs shining with victory. And then she _pulled_.

Spirit energy snaked through her, electrifying and strong as it shot through her limbs with frightening speed. Hot white power began to concentrate as she attempted to focus it like she remembered, and it only took her a split second later to know that what she was doing was so terribly wrong.

Pain laced through her, the energy now burning-_boiling_ inside of her as she lost control of the flow and it rampaged through her. She screamed through clenched teeth as the reiatsu whipped and lashed inside and out, the spiritual energy striking the ground around her leaving deep gashes and jagged scars of wounded earth. The intense pain inside her only seemed to grow worse, even as she could feel her epidermis on her arms beginning to burn and peel. Her initial pull of the energy had been too sudden, too strong for her untrained body to handle, and she was now paying the consequences of her carelessness.

'_Let it go! You have to release it!'_

Sakura could barely hear the commanding-_frantic_ whispers above her own screaming, but the urgency of said words pushed her to move. She would not let herself be destroyed by her very own reiatsu! With the last bits of her dwindling strength, she raised her hand and clenched it into a shaky fist, willing her reiatsu to focus at that point and slammed it into the ground with a scream that tore painfully at her throat.

With a deafening crack, the ground exploded around her. Chunks of rock flew about, the dirt creating a hazy cloud of brown dust surrounding her, and wisps of scattered grass dropped like broken things around her.

When unconsciousness claimed her, it was almost a blessing.

* * *

_"How old are you Chibi-Hime?"_

_"...Five..."_

_"Are you going to train to be a kunoichi some day?"_

_"Yeah!"_

_"That's the spirit. Come on, I'll teach you a trick or two."_

_"...Oh, by the way, my name is U-"_

* * *

"...to use it like that!" Kuukaku's worried yet irritated voice slowly permeated the heavy fog in Sakura's head, and she groggily remembered to hold still to not aggravate her injuries that she had so foolishly accumulated. Kami-sama, shishou would be furious with her.

"Hey, no one could have known about it either, so don't be so hard on yourself." An unknown calming gentle voice that held the undertones of someone used to being much more jovial reached her, and her curiosity took hold. "Even if I didn't find her , I'm pretty sure someone would have found her quickly. You'd have to be blind to miss the mess she created out there."

_Minor concussion, one bruised rib, numerous burns and lacerations over the entire body, cannot heal due to-_ The thought suddenly ended as if it were never meant to continue, and she sighed internally at her fragmented being.

"I know... just- ugh, forget it! Kaien! You better-"

"I know Kuukaku. I'll take care of it so don't give me that look!"

"Will Sakura be okay?"

It was Ganju's almost quivering question that finally urged her to slowly pry open her eyelids, the lighting in the room causing discomfort that was easily dismissed as she found the young boy's kneeling form by her side. Giving him a reassuring and sloppy smile that took the form of a grimace, Sakura parted her parched lips and promptly coughed when she attempted to speak. Her throat was raw and dry; the coughing painful and she knew it would most likely be best to refrain from speaking at the moment.

"Sakura!"

The said rosette stopped her coughing and grimaced-smiled again at Ganju who had practically thrown himself over the tatami mats to hand her a cup of warm tea. Taking up the offered liquid gratefully, her eyes flickered off to the side to Kuukaku and then quickly settled on the black-robed male that was known as Shiba Kaien. The head of the household she was currently residing in.

Planting her unoccupied bandaged hand on the ground, she let out a soundless hiss of air at the pain when trying to prop herself up to drink her wonderfully warm and blessed tea. When Kaien quickly moved to assist her, she resisted the gut reaction of smashing the small piece of china into the man's face to keep him away from her injured form and dulled it to a startled jerk of her arm instead. Tea slightly sloshed from the cup and dampened her bandaged fingers.

Kaien gave her a surprised expression at her movement yet made no comment while gently holding her shoulders so she could have the luxury of drinking without too much pain or having to resort to pour the liquid into her mouth while laying horizontal on her futon (an action she was sure would have gotten her a face full of tea).

"How are you feeling?" When she levelled her leafy gaze at the man in an unimpressed manner he only laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Haha yeah I guess that was kind of a dumb question!"

"Can we heal her?" Kaien shook his head at the boy's inquiry and only ruffled his hair at his downcast expression.

"We can't do anything here, but don't worry! The healers from the fourth division will definitely be able to heal her!"

"You're going to get one of them to come here?"

"Nope." Answering the younger's question with yet another negative, he then turned his attention to Sakura who had finished her cup of tea.

"I'm taking her to Seireitei."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Sorry I'm so late!** I know I said I was a slow updater, but I had thought to get this second chapter up a couple months ago. Life happened, and it wasn't able to happen. Haha it'll probably be like this for the rest of the story!

**Thank you for your reviews!** I couldn't respond to the anon ones, but I greatly appreciate everyone taking their time to review =)

**Time skips will happen often:** During the first.. 8-10 chapters anyhow. Skips may be from weeks to days or even years.

**This chapter may seem... disjointed:** I wrote out scenes several times and even scrapped large chunks of it and shoved other parts of it together. Sorry!

**Chapters will be around the 3000-word mark:** Kind of like the first chapter. This one was 2000 words longer, don't get used to it u n u;;;

Happy New Year! Let me know if there are any mistakes! Till next time!


	3. Road Trip

"Absolutely not."

"But-"

"No."

"Saku-"

"Quit whining and arguing and get going!" An extremely irritated Shiba Kuukaku hollered at the grinning household head and grumpy pink-haired and heavily bandaged woman. The pair were meant to leave for Seireitei when the question of their method of travel came up, and the arguments began.

Carriages were deemed too large and flashy for Sakura who wished to draw as much attention to herself as a dead branch (and therefore, none at all), similarly any sort of company or entourage would draw the same sort of curiosity and neither she or Kaien wished to pull any of the household members away from the underground mansion. It would take too long to get an escort from Seireitei and because she currently only had the capacity to pathetically crawl a few feet at a time the idea of her actually _walking_ there was laughable (which, to Sakura's displeasure, Kaien did laugh at).

Thus the only agreeable conclusion they were able to come to was that Kaien would have to carry her and either walk or run to their destination. Everyone warmed to the idea, bandages and other supplies were swiftly packed into a small bag, and they hauled themselves above ground to set off. It was only when the shinigami approached her with his arms stretched out as if to cradle her in his arms and to his chest did Sakura voice her dissent.

"Kaien-san," Sakura grit her teeth and then immediately stopped doing so when the action brought pain to her head. "Not only will both of your hands be occupied if you were to carry me that way, but it also greatly restricts your movement." She did not add that it was embarrassing to be held so intimately by a man she had just met, already married or not.

Scratching the back of his head and then giving an over dramatic sigh, Kaien looked from the two women standing in front of him and wondered if his sister's own stubbornness had rubbed off on the other female or if she happened to simply come that way. It wasn't as if he could exchange her or get a refund either.

"Fine, but you know it'll be a lot more comfortable if I carried you in front." Taking the short steps towards her, he turned around and knelt on the ground, waiting for her to climb on for the piggy-back ride to Seireitei and hoping that he wouldn't be strangled too often with her arms around his neck. He was surprised that despite her extensive injuries, she was almost graceful as her heavily bandaged arms gently yet firmly settled around his shoulders and her clothed knees appeared on either side of his body.

Positioning her properly and ensuring that she would not topple, he then stood, and if her head had not been so close to his own he would have missed the almost inaudible groan of pain that escaped her. Tilting his head around with concern, he was met with vivid green that shone with determination, and so he made no further comment on her discomfort.

"Sakura," Ganju trotted forward, the worry for the young woman that he had grown so attached to unmasked and bared for all to see. "You better come back soon! Okay?"

With an answering smile, said female gave the young boy a small wave and spoke with soft firmness. "I'll be back, promise."

"All right!" The energy and volume that came out of Kaien gave everyone a startling jolt. "See ya!" And with a pivot, he took off with a brisk jog, leaving behind the loud farewells of the only home Sakura had known in Soul Society.

It hadn't been a minute before Sakura was pulled from her thoughts on how exhausted and pained her body felt (her bruised rib was causing her the most grief) and was grateful for the distraction when the man carrying her decided to speak up. Sleeping injured while being transported on the back of one companion caused the proverbial warning bells to go off in her brain, and conversation would be sure to keep her mostly conscious. Though perhaps the ringing in her ears was a byproduct of a terrible migraine.

"Hey, Sakura?" He continued after her inquiring hum and his head tilted with slight curiosity. "How's Ganju?"

"Still trying to get out of eating his vegetables." She replied with a smile, and she could feel the amused chuckle reverberate against her chest. "Oh, and he's also trying to train and ride Bonnie."

The chuckle turned into full blown laughter, and the rosette realized that the other appeared more relaxed, almost as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders; the tension and worry being expelled through his laughter. He had been concerned about his younger brother.

"He always has so much energy, running around all the time, yet whenever a situation arises when he's required to participate in work, all of that energy goes towards trying to talk himself out of having to do it."

"Ha, that kid." Kaien smiled fondly, the image of his younger brother attempting to escape from his duties and Shiroganehiko and Koganehiko warmed him. "Kuukaku has to yell at him to get him moving, doesn't she? She's always been pretty impatient."

"About that," she caught her eyes beginning to droop and blinked furiously in vain to clear away the veil of sleep. "Ganju and I have a sort of... unspoken agreement."

"What do you mean?" Raven tufts of hair tickled her cheek, and she jerked her head backwards when she realized that her upper body had slowly slumped against her current mode of transportation. The sudden movement sent jolts of stabbing pain through her system, and she received a worried glance for her antics. How foolish of her to agitate her injuries.

"Well, it kind of goes like this," Sakura kept the strain out of her voice to ease her partner's concern and slowly loosened her limbs. "If he completes more of his chores or lessons with little to no fuss or trouble, the more time I take off from my own studies to spend time with him. It's a good thing he enjoys my company, or else Kuukaku would probably be yelling at him all day long."

A pleasant silence hung around them for a couple dozen heartbeats, and the injured female surrendered the fight against keeping herself upright and instead rested her forehead against the other's shoulder. He did not comment on it, instead choosing to bask in the amicable silence, giving her aches and pains a chance to return to the forefront of her mind.

_Just suck it up already and tolerate it. It's your own damn fault for being in this state._

"Thanks." The words were quiet, yet the gratitude in them so clear to her ears. "For taking care of them."

Keeping her head at it's current place on the man's shoulder, she smiled gently. "They've helped me with so much; it's the least I could do."

Brows drawing together with concern, Kain looked to the drowsy pinkette who had occupied his shoulder, using it as a makeshift pillow for her head. "You can get some sleep you know. We won't be there for a while."

"I'd prefer to stay awake, and I actually have hundreds of questions that I've been wondering about for a long time now, and I'm hoping that you would be able to answer at least a few."

"Oh, sure. What do you want to know?"

_Everything. Something. Anything._

She found the remainder of the journey rather enjoyable as she was able to question Kaien more in depth about Seireitei and gather what the library would not, could not provide her with. She already knew he was the vice-captain of his division from Ganju, however the duties he covered were not as well known. As expected, there was much paperwork involved with being such a high-ranking shinigami, assigning and overseeing his subordinates and even training with them to help improve their skills. However with his perpetually ailing captain there were times when he had to act in his stead. As she garnered from the Shiba household she reaffirmed her belief that Kaien was a good vice-captain. He cared for his family, his division, Soul Society, and carried an air of stern fierceness. Laughter and smiles came freely, but his heart unswaying and unyielding.

When she questioned him on his opinion on clans, she was pleasantly surprised with his answer.

"Well, essentially we're all the same. We all smile, laugh, get hurt, bleed. Why should a name you were born to make you any different? What is important," he paused and placed his hand over the centre of his chest. "Is here."

Yes, Sakura definitely liked Shiba Kaien. Sigh. So far in Soul Society she had only encountered kind souls that made her feel nothing less than welcome.

When she gave her little sigh at that last thought, the said man put a wide and proud grin on his face.

"Oi, oi! You better not be falling for me. I know I'm awesome and everything, but I'm already a married man!"

Laughing helped to abate her sleepiness, but caused her chest to ache in more than just the physical sense. "If I weren't injured I think I'd hit you for that you ego-inflated man," she joked. "And my heart is already taken, so there's no room for you there."

There was a pregnant pause, and Sakura forgot to breathe for a short moment.

"My... I..." She loved someone. Who? Did he return her love? That warmth, the one that was meant to be lying next to her but was not there. It had to be him. Who was he?

"...This... someone from before?" _Ahh, so Kuukaku must have told him._ If Sakura had any doubts that Kaien knew about her memory situation it was now put to rest.

It came off as a casual inquiry but Kaien was being hesitant; he was now walking in unfamiliar territory with her didn't want to cause her upset.

"Yes. I don't remember him, not yet." Because she would, one day.

"You definitely seem hell-bent on finding your past, huh."

"I have to." The solid conviction in the tone of her voice surprised the man. "Hopefully I won't put too much of a burden on Kuukaku and Ganju, they, well... Kuukaku was rather concerned over the idea." The fireworks master's unanswered question echoed in her heart.

"Yeah, that sounds like her." The new vein of conversation made her feel unsettled and instead diverted away from it without a second thought.

"Anyways, I'm sorry that I cut your visit home short, you were only able to see everyone for a bit of time." She briefly wondered at the ease in which she could direct the topic of discussion. "I'm sure you wanted to be with your family."

"Don't worry about it! I was only meaning to drop by for a moment anyways; I was just coming back from some training."

It was only a simple question on what type of training Kaien did, and the unsavoury subjects were safely left behind.

It didn't take much longer to reach Seireitei, and Sakura took in the city with analytical wonder. The living conditions between this place and Ruppongai were leagues apart, and although the poverty of some places saddened her, it was also to be expected in any sort of society.

Raising her head, Sakura straightened her posture as much as she could without causing too much pain to her body. Willing away fatigue, the need to appear as strong and whole to these people burned in her veins, adrenaline giving her a brief moment of strength. It did not matter that she was injured, that the white cloth that sheathed her wounded skin and biting trauma that lay just beneath was a display of impairment. She had endured, survived. She would not be weak here.

The vice-captain regarded her first with fascination, and then respect. "I'm taking you to the Fourth Division, someone there will be able to take care of you."

"Are you sure that's okay? I'm not a shinigami."

"Don't sweat it! They already know you're coming, I sent in a request back home when you were still out of it."

Ah, the privileges that came with belonging to a Noble household - not that she thought that anyone from the Shiba clan would abuse those rights. However if not for her affiliation with the family, there was no doubt in her mind that she would have been left to her own devices without a sliver of consideration from Seireitei.

They received - or more like she received many quizzical stares from passer-by's, and they unnerved her; it was an effort to not let her body go rigid whenever she felt a particularly heavy gaze upon her person. She kept note of the buildings they passed, the routes they took and was particularly wary of the citizen's body gestures.

They entered a large building with the large kanji for 'four' marking it and making it easily recognizable. She suspected that each division had their own large signage designating which was their main building.

"Oh, Isane!" Kaien called out, and a white haired woman with an armband on her upper arm turned in response. "Perfect timing! Could you take a look at her for me?"

Isane eyed her bandaged form while speaking. "Well... I guess if it's you asking me Shiba-fuku-taichou. Please come this way." She started down a corridor, and they followed her at her beckoning wave. She slid a door open, revealing an empty room with a single futon and small desk. "So, what's the reason why you brought her here yourself from home?"

Kaien carefully placed her on the futon, and soon the bandages were unraveling. The way they were removed told Sakura that it was a well used action. This woman was no stranger to the art of healing.

"Well..." he paused at the woman's gasp when she caught sight of the state of her forearm and gently pulled away more of the bandages.

"How? Are these... reiatsu burns? But that's-!"

"I know it's hard to believe, but Sakura did that to herself by accident."

"You did _this_ by _accident_?"

Well, when she asked it like that it made Sakura feel rather embarrassed with herself. "It was just a little... experimenting. I didn't know that it would have such a destructive effect."

Isane eyed the thin material that layered the pinkette's arms, legs and disappeared through the top of her shirt. Heaving a great sigh, she knew she definitely had her work cut out for her. "Alright Shiba-fuku-taichou, I'll be able to take care of it from here, you had better get going. We'll notify you when she's recovered sufficiently."

"Thanks Isane! See you later Sakura, get better quickly! I should be able to visit you sometime soon, okay?"

"Thank you, Kaien."

With a wave to the white-haired woman, he left the room, leaving the two of them alone. During the healing, she was greatly interested in the process of which reiatsu was utilized, and she asked Isane several questions in between their light chatter. The healer was quite pleasant, and was happy to discuss and explain her work.

It wasn't until the healer had finished for the day, and had left her in peace with a smile did she allow herself to succumb to the lullaby of sleep.

* * *

"_...like Konoha?"_

"_Yeah!"_

"_Would you protect it, and the people living here?"_

"_Of course I would Hotaru-baa-san!"_

"_Then I think you'd make a wonderful kunoichi, Hana-chan."_

"_But mom and dad-"_

"_Oh don't worry about them Hana-chan, they'll come around one day."_

* * *

Flinging the thin sheets away in a great billow of white, poison green eyes flickered open, her body twisting around as she flew from the futon with sleek and silent movements. Long pink strands fanned and whipped around her wildly and she landed with her back to the wall in a low defensive crouch facing the intruder who had slid open the door, setting her instincts off into a frenzy.

'_You're safe. Don't worry.'_

The disembodied voice in her head soothed her frazzled nerves, and she took in the white robed woman who stared back with a mixture of confusion and surprise.

She was in Seireitei, the fourth division. No one had worn a white haori around the hospital, not even the vice-captain, Isane. Then the braided-haired woman had to be of a higher rank - captain, perhaps? In any case, despite her poor habit to react to the unknown, it didn't appear that she was a threat.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked as the adrenaline rush dwindled, and the consequences of her overzealousness began to take hold of her. Carefully slinking to the ground, she hissed when her body screamed back with retribution. A cough escaped her, and was soon followed by many more, her ribs burning-stabbing and her head heavy and spinning.

_Stupid stupid stupid._ She reprimanded herself, the insult on a constant repeat in an attempt to distract herself from the pain.

The other woman cautiously entered the room as if not to startle her, and quietly closed the door behind her before approaching with a purpose. Gently helping the injured woman back to the bed, she gave a quick scan to assess her patient's condition.

"My name is Unohana Retsu, the fourth division captain. I apologize for startling you." Unohana bent down to retrieve the fallen blanket and returned it to it's previous place over the other's body. "Isane told me about you, and I had only wanted to check up on you briefly."

"Ahh... It's all right. I acted.. badly." She finished lamely, not knowing how to explain herself and being properly embarrassed with herself.

"You've agitated your injuries, but there isn't anything that can't wait until tomorrow."

"Thank you, Unohana-san." She spoke out just as the captain opened the door once again to leave.

"You're welcome." She smiled, and it sent chills down her spine. "However if you jump around in that manner again before you're healed, then I may have to make it so that you cannot leave. Good night." The door closed, and she was alone again.

Somehow she would have to curb her instincts to jump at every creak and bump, because she was sure that Unohana would be true to her word and tie her down if she felt it necessary.

It took her a little longer to get back to sleep this time.

* * *

"_Where have you been disappearing to?"_

"_I... I have a friend!"_

"_Oh! Who's this friend of yours?"_

"_Uchiha-"_

"_Uchiha?! Sakura! You've been following around a shinobi? Is this why you're coming home covered in dirt and scratches all the time?"_

"_B-but Okaa-san..."_

"_I told you to stay away from that shinobi business Sakura! Kami-sama, you're just a child!"_

* * *

**A/N:**

**Really late this time, sorry** - stuff happened. Oh, and when I write I sometimes update my profile with chapter progress.

**Boring draggy chapter is boring and slow** - Sorry. Had to be written.

**Please point out mistakes** - this chapter was written, butchered, deleted, written again, chopped up and cut in half. I left a bunch of it for next chapter, which means it should (in theory) take less time to come out because it's a third done? I re-read chapter 2 when my brains weren't falling out and realized that half way through I was writing Koganehiko's name as Kuroganehiko despite never having written or referenced him that way before. Hmm. Need more sleep.

**Question! Who is your favourite Sakura/whoever pairing and why?**_- _yes there will be a bit of romance, and I already know who she'll be ending up with, but I'm curious.

**Anyone have any guesses who her past friend is?** - It's obvious to me, but I'm the writer so I don't know how obvious it really is haha.

**Thank you for all of the reviews C: **They really do encourage me to write more, despite always taking so long.


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